Contest Limitations
| Sport | Season Limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 24 Games | ||
| Basketball | 24 Games | ||
| Football | 10 Games | ||
| Lacrosse | 24 Games | ||
| Soccer | 24 Games | ||
| Softball | 24 Games | ||
| Tennis | No Season Limit | ||
| Volleyball | 22 Matches* | ||
| Wrestling | No Season Limit |
* Best of three and best of five matches will count toward RPI rankings
Bracket Sizes by Classification
| 1A | 2A | 3A | 4A | 5A | 6A | 7A | 8A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Football | 48* | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| Soccer | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| Volleyball | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| DT Tennis | 48* | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| Basketball | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| DT Wrestling | 48* | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| Baseball | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
| Softball | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 24 |
*The bracket size could change based on the number of schools participating in that sport.
Playoff and Seeding Format
Gather the designated NCHSAA staff and coach representative at the scheduled time and location.
1. Obtain the final RPI Ranking for the sport from MaxPreps.
2. Remove from the ranking:
– Schools that have opted out of playoff participation for that sport
– Schools ineligible for post-season competition
3. Separate and rank teams within each classification based on their RPI score.
4. Assign each qualifying school to the East or West region using the school’s longitude.
5. Seed teams within each region (East and West) according to their final RPI ranking.
– In the event of a tie, use additional decimal places in the RPI to break the tie.
*If the number of qualifying teams does not fill the bracket (e.g., 21 teams for a 24-team bracket), and a team’s location is at the longitudinal center between the East and West regions, the coach representative will conduct a draw to determine which bracket (East or West) that team will join.
An RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) formula will be used for all team-bracketed playoffs. The formula will be as follows for all sports:
RPI = (0.4 x WP) + (0.4 x OWP) + (0.2 x OOWP)
Winning Percentage (WP):
Divide the number of wins by the number of total games played. A tie is worth half a win. If a win in an individual contest gives that contest a winning percentage of 1.00, a tie will give that individual contest a winning percentage of .500 for both teams.
Opponents’ Winning Percentage (OWP):
Average the winning percentages of a team’s opponents. (Note: This is not calculated via the opponents’ combined record, but by averaging each winning percentage of the opponents.) All games involving the team whose RPI is being calculated are ignored in this process.
Opponents’ Opponents Winning Percentage (OOWP):
The same process is described above, except calculated for the opponents of a team’s opponents. (Note: There is an exception for out-of-state teams, which is addressed below.)
Out-of-state opponents from the following states will be counted the same as in-state opponents, provided they have a verified MaxPreps account and schedule:
– Georgia
– South Carolina
– Tennessee
– Virginia
All other out-of-state opponents will be handled in the following manner:
Their direct winning percentage (for example, .750) will count toward the formula, but each of their opponents will have a .500 winning percentage assigned.
The .500 figure was selected because it is the average value of opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages across all sports in data gathered from the states using RPI, such as Colorado, Utah, and Washington.
Note: It is the NCHSAA member school’s responsibility to ensure that the data from their out-of-state opponent is correctly listed on MaxPreps.
International opponents will not count toward the RPI calculation.
Contests against “pseudo teams” cannot be included in the NCHSAA RPI calculations, as these teams are not at the varsity level or do not have a MaxPreps profile.
As a result, any game played against the following types of opponents will not factor into the RPI:
– Varsity Opponent
– Junior Varsity (JV) Opponent
– Freshman Opponent
– Non-Varsity Opponent
– Non-JV Opponent
– Tournament Team without a MaxPreps profile
Contests against in-state, non-NCHSAA schools will be handled in the following manner:
Their direct winning percentage (for example, .750) will count toward the formula, but each of their opponents will have a .500 winning percentage assigned.
The .500 figure was selected because it is the average value of opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages across all sports in data gathered from the states using RPI, such as Colorado, Utah, and Washington.
Note: It is the responsibility of the NCHSAA member school to ensure that the data from their opponent is correctly listed on MaxPreps. If an opponent is listed as a “Varsity Opponent,” the results of that contest will not contribute to the team’s RPI number.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, this is a common misconception. The direct game is not factored into your RPI formula. For example, if your team plays a team that is 9-0, and you beat them, their record is now 9-1 (winning percentage of .900). However, because the direct game is not included in your team’s calculations, they are factored in as 9-0 for the purposes of your RPI calculation. In other words, their winning percentage for your calculation remains at 1.000. This is true even if you play a team twice or even more. All direct games against that opponent are removed from the calculation.
No, they do not. Note: You should not list scrimmages on your official MaxPreps schedule. Instead, list on your Team Calendar in MaxPreps.
This is an unlikely scenario. While MaxPreps will post RPIs to four decimal points, that can be extended to as many decimal points as necessary to break the tie.
The main thing to remember with the RPI is it takes into account an entire schedule. A single game on a schedule does not have a major impact. View the entire schedule as a whole and try to judge the strength of the schedule.
There is no factor for score differential in the RPI formula. A 1-0 win counts the same as 50-1.
Because the RPI system works off averages, a game that cannot be rescheduled will not factor into the final formula. It would not penalize or benefit any team involved in that scenario.
If a school drops a program before the start of its competitive season, no forfeits will be involved. Instead, their opponents now have open dates in that sport. If a school drops a program after its competitive season has started, that team shall forfeit one (1) contest to each conference opponent they have yet to play. All other non-conference contests and subsequent conference contests will be deemed as a no-contest. In this instance, the competitive season is defined as the sport’s first playdate in question (conference bylaws may dictate an earlier drop deadline if they wish).
Continue reporting scores to MaxPreps. The official RPI feed will be calculated from results entered into that platform.
The RPI standings will be published for the first time once a sports season reaches the midway point. When this occurs, the RPI fee will be updated continuously throughout the remainder of the regular season.
